This is because fitness focuses on your physical health, while wellness is a broader term that encapsulates a balance between all types of health, including your physical health. We want to be fit, but more so, we want to be well rounded in our overall approach to health and that's where wellness enters the discussion.
Fitness, specifically physical fitness, refers to the physical components of well-being that enable a person to function at an optimal level. Wellness, on the other hand, refers to the balance of a spectrum of health-related elements in one's life.
Being physically fit means having the necessary strength, endurance, and flexibility to perform physical tasks and activities without excessive fatigue or injury. On the other hand, good health encompasses not only physical fitness but also mental and social well-being.
Health refers to a state where the physical body is free from disease, while wellness refers to an overall balance of a person's physical, social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, environmental and occupational well-being.
Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations, and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical exercise, and sufficient rest along with a formal recovery plan.
Wellness is the quality or state of being healthy as a constant goal. There is some overlap between health and wellness; it is often confused or used interchangeably with health. Wellness is an active process of making optimal health and well-being choices rather than remaining in a static state.
However, while the terms “healthy” and “fit” are often used synonymously, the words have entirely different meanings and can be separate states of physical being. This means that you can be very healthy and may not be fit, and you can be very fit and may not be healthy.
People often think about wellness in terms of physical health — nutrition, exercise, weight management, etc., but it is so much more. Wellness is a holistic integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, fueling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit (1).
Holistic health refers to health that interconnects social, mental and physical health, so focusing on the whole person rather than specific symptoms. Fitness is being physically healthy and strong. Wellness is pursuing activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to holistic health.
Definitions of health and wellness: Health is the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease, or infirmity. Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.
Health is also determined by a balanced diet and nutrition, adequate hydration, maintaining a physiological sleep cycle, and stress management. Being ONLY fit or only focusing on exercise regimens will not guarantee that you will be healthy.
In reality, they can be separate states of physical being. You can be really fit, and not very healthy, and you can be very healthy and not very fit. The best benefits are found with trying to get a balance out of both sides, this requires us to identify the difference between fitness and health.
The main difference between a gym and a wellness center is that while gyms focus on physical health and fitness, wellness centers pay attention to fitness and mental and emotional well-being to align the entire person through mind, body, and spirit.
Fitness mainly concerns your physique, and being healthy means being disease-free. But wellness comprises both fitness and health, in addition to mental and nutritional health. Environmental, financial, social, and emotional health must all be good to be considered good.
The wellness physique is more muscular than fit model or bikini competitors who are typically more slim and slender without having too much muscular development. Judges are keen to see women who have well developed lower bodies, especially great quads and of course glutes!
Health is a comprehensive state of well-being that encompasses physical, mental, emotional and social aspects of a person's life. Fitness, on the other hand, refers to the ability to perform physical activities and tasks efficiently.
While the words “fit” and “healthy” are often used synonymously in everyday language, the terms have entirely separate meanings. Fitness describes the ability to perform a given exercise task, and health explains a person's state of well-being, where physiological systems work in harmony.
Wellness comprises of eight mutually co-dependence dimensions: emotional, physical, occupational, social, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, and financial. If any one of these dimensions is neglected over time, it will adversely affect one's health, well-being, and quality of life.
Total wellness is based on four dimensions: Spiritual, Social, Psychological, and Physical. Each component works together to maintain and shape total fitness. Wellness integrates each component to move us towards a more proactive, responsible, and healthier existence.
Wellbeing is not just the absence of disease or illness. It's a complex combination of a person's physical, mental, emotional and social health factors. Wellbeing is strongly linked to happiness and life satisfaction. In short, wellbeing could be described as how you feel about yourself and your life.
Many people think that if they are not sick, then they are well. However, the definition of wellness is optimal health and vitality, encompassing physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, interpersonal, social and environmental well-being.
Experts define physical fitness as “one's ability to execute daily activities with optimal performance, endurance, and strength with the management of disease, fatigue, and stress and reduced sedentary behavior.” This description goes beyond being able to run quickly or lift heavy weights.
Fit individuals, regardless of being normal weight, overweight, or obese, exhibited no statistically significant increase in the risks of all-cause mortality or cardiovascular disease compared to normal weight-fit individuals. Conversely, unfit individuals in any BMI category showed markedly higher risks.
BMI score has some limitations because it measures whether a person is carrying too much weight but not too much fat. For example, people who are very muscular, like professional sportspeople, can have a high BMI without much fat.